Introduction
Combined gorilla trekking and wildlife safari in Uganda qualifies to be the best of both worlds when we look at combing both Gorilla trekking and wildlife safaris in Uganda. Looking at the magnificent mountain gorillas, Big 5, birds and other wildlife, the options are endless as one gets to enjoy all available options for attractions in Uganda. The combinations offers two different yet equally exhilarating experiences in Uganda, each providing travelers with the opportunity to connect with nature in unique ways.
Gorilla trekking is a unique lifetime experience that will allow you the opportunity to get intimate with mountain gorillas who are considered one of our closest relatives in their natural habitat. Uganda is home to more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population, making it one of the best places on earth to embark on this adventure. The main destination for gorilla trekking in Uganda is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the southwestern part of the country with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi’s dense rainforest provides a pristine habitat for mountain gorillas, offering visitors an immersive and unforgettable trekking experience with about 20 habituated families. Mgahinga is famously known for Golden monkeys and a family of habituated gorillas.
Treks typically begin early in the morning, as you set out with experienced guides and trackers to search for a habituated gorilla family. The trek can vary in duration and difficulty, depending on the location of the gorilla group on that day. Once the gorillas are located, you’ll have the rare opportunity to spend an hour in their presence, observing their behavior, social interactions, and feeding habits in their habitat.
Uganda boasts an incredible diversity of wildlife, including the “Big Five” (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros) as well as numerous other species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The country’s varied landscape, which is savannahs, wetlands, forests, and mountains, provides habitats for a wide range of wildlife species. One of the most popular for wildlife safaris is Queen Elizabeth National Park located in the western part of the country as it’s known for its diverse ecosystems and abundant wildlife. The park is also famous for its boat safaris along the Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. However Uganda has other parks like Murchison falls, Kidepo, Lake Mburo and more that increase on this diversity.
Expect to see primates like mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, pottos, olive baboons; wildlife like lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, crocodiles, hippos, duikers, water bucks, bush backs, servals, mongooses, giraffes, zebras, African civet, jackals, genets, kobs; birds like grey crowned crane, standard nightjar, green-breasted pitta, gonoleks, bar-tailed trogon, marabou storks, saddle-billed storks, black bee-eater, turacos, African fish eagle, shelley’s crimsonwing, dusky crimsonwing, bush shrike, African jacana, shoebill stork, king fishers, herons, egrets, sunbirds, warblers, weavers, fly catchers, skimmers; lakes, waterfalls, mountains, forests, hot springs, the communities and River Nile. These are some of the beautiful attractions that Uganda can offer at any point making the experience really unique in its own way.
Combining gorilla trekking with wildlife safaris in Uganda offers a diverse and rewarding travel experience. Whether you’re tracking gorillas through the dense rainforest of Bwindi or spotting lions on the savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, each encounter with Uganda’s natural wonders leaves a lasting impression and creates memories to cherish for a lifetime.